GALESBURG, Illinois — Knox College announced the launch of a new $10 million building renovation led by two regional construction and design industry partners.
Knox said it is partnering with RATIO Design, a global design firm, and the Davenport-based contractor and developer Russell to transform its Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center, located at 340 S. West St. The center houses the college’s biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, and psychology departments as well as the Amott Science Commons, a collaborative learning space that includes Knox’s Makerspace Hub.
Funded by a $10 million grant awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the renovation will focus primarily on the building’s C-Wing which contains the chemistry classrooms and laboratories, common spaces, and faculty offices. Additional system upgrades are part of the project, the college said in a news release last week.
“Knox is grateful to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for their investment in Knox, the State of Illinois for its investment in higher education across the state, and our partners, RATIO and Russell, as we embark on this transformative capital project,” President C. Andrew McGadney said in the release. “As an historic campus, investments in academic buildings and infrastructure are crucial to ensuring that teaching and learning takes place in modern, state-of-the-art facilities.”
According to Knox, the renovation project officially kicked off in September when RATIO Design began hosting discovery and feedback sessions with college faculty and staff. Russell also participated to ensure that construction plans and materials will be secured in time for the construction process to begin.
The planning phase is expected to take 12 months and will be immediately followed by the construction phase.
“This systematic and transformative renovation will enhance interdisciplinary campus-wide connections, advance functionality and provide future adaptability for STEM teaching and research,” RATIO Design Principal Rebecca Hinz said.
Next gen professionals
Matt Rebro, vice president at Russell, added that it is the college’s students and educators who are “at the heart of this project.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity for Russell to be part of the team bringing Knox’s vision for the Umbeck Science & Math Center to life,” he said. “This facility will create modern, accessible, and energy-efficient spaces that inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and scholars, while continuing our long-standing commitment to Galesburg and Knox County.”
Knox also created a renovation steering committee of administrators, faculty and staff to work closely with RATIO and Russell to finalize plans and designs.
“To add new knowledge to the chemical field is incredibly exciting and important, but research at the frontier of chemistry is challenging,” Associate Professor of Chemistry Helen M. Hoyt, Knox Class ‘01, said in the release. “It necessarily requires an immense amount of infrastructure to provide a controlled laboratory environment. The chemistry department is very enthusiastic to meet with the architects to explore the project scope …”
“Modernizing these systems will enable future generations of Knox science students and faculty to ask and answer their own research questions,” Ms. Hoyt added.
Ms. Hinz said RATIO’s team also is enthused about the partnership “and creating spaces together that encourage innovation and inspiration for the students, staff and faculty of Knox College for years to come.”
New education standard
The building renovations, which are still in the planning stages, will be the first major upgrades to Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center since 2020 when changes were made to the building’s entryway and central learning core. That project expanded the atrium that brought more light – and a 55-foot fin whale skeleton – into the entryway. It also provided seating and study areas for students and visitors, as well as the Amott Science Commons and six modern classrooms.
The current project, President McGadney said, “will provide our STEM faculty and students with spaces that embrace a new standard for interaction, instruction, and research, helping to position Knox as a leader in scientific inquiry and creativity.”
Russell, established in 1983 by Jim Russell, has grown into a regional and national provider of commercial construction and development services. In addition to Davenport, it has national offices St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield, Missouri. Russell has delivered more than $7 billion in projects across 34 states and remains dedicated to “building great people, relationships, and communities.”
Founded in 1982, RATIO is a global design firm headquartered in Indianapolis. Its interdisciplinary teams offer architecture, historic preservation, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design, and graphic design services. Its reach has included work in more than 41 states and 15 countries and territories around the world.
